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Society

Man Imprisoned in Kyrgyzstan for Evading Child Support

In Kyrgyzstan’s southern Batken region, a man who had evaded court-ordered child support payments since 2017 has been sentenced to two years in prison, according to the Bailiff Service under the Prosecutor General's Office of the Kyrgyz Republic. This is reportedly the first known prison sentence for such an offense in Kyrgyzstan, signaling a shift as authorities move to strengthen penalties against non-compliant parents following divorce. Under a July 3, 2017 ruling by the Batken District Court, the man was ordered to pay one-quarter of his income in child support until his child reached the age of 18. However, he failed to comply with the court’s decision. As of September 1, 2025, his arrears totaled 501,000 Kyrgyz som (approximately $5,700). On February 2, the Batken Regional Court sentenced him to two years in prison for non-payment. Klara Masalbekova, Head of the Department for Enforcement of Court Decisions at the Prosecutor General's Office, noted that failure to fulfill child-support obligations falls under Article 178 of Kyrgyzstan’s Criminal Code. This article has been progressively tightened in recent years. Under current law, evading child support can result in a prison sentence of up to three years. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, 1,205 individuals in Kyrgyzstan are currently wanted for child-support evasion. The Family Code of the Kyrgyz Republic stipulates the following alimony contributions for children under 18: One child - 1/4 of the parent’s income Two children - 1/3 of the income Three or more children - 1/2 of the income In a related development, the Kyrgyz parliament has approved in the first reading a bill introducing stricter penalties for non-compliance with alimony agreements or court orders, 24.kg reported. The proposed measures include: Three days’ arrest for a three-month overdue payment Community service of 100-200 hours or up to one year of imprisonment for a 12-month overdue payment A fine of 100,000 som (approx. $1,140) or up to three years in prison for concealing income, understating wages, or refusing employment mandated by a court order The bill aims to reduce the number of delinquent child-support cases and improve compliance with family law rulings across the country.

Labor Laws

Kazakhstan Plans to Ban Dismissal of Single Parents Regardless of Gender

Kazakhstan’s lawmakers have proposed amendments to labor legislation that would prohibit the dismissal of single parents, regardless of gender. Currently, such legal protections apply only to single mothers. Yerlan Sairov, a deputy of the Mazhilis (the lower house of parliament), said the provision is part of a bill to amend and supplement the Labor Code. The bill proposes replacing the term “single mothers” with “single parents,” thereby extending protection from dismissal to single fathers raising children on their own. The Mazhilis has already approved the bill in its second reading and forwarded it to the Senate for consideration. The draft law also introduces significant reforms in pension rights. Under the proposed changes to the Social Code, time spent by non-working fathers caring for young children will be counted toward their length of service when calculating old-age pensions. This amendment follows a February 2025 ruling by the Constitutional Court, which found gender inequality in the previous legislation after a citizen filed a constitutional appeal. The bill covers a range of related areas. New provisions are being introduced into the Code on Public Health and the Healthcare System regarding the classification of occupational injuries. It also mandates the inclusion of rules on benefits and compensation, such as those related to workplace accidents, in collective labor agreements. Notably, occupational safety and health officers will be required to report directly to the head of the organization, thereby establishing management’s personal accountability for workplace conditions. On the government’s initiative, the draft law includes amendments to the Law “On Permits and Notifications,” introducing licensing requirements for the provision of special social services in the field of social protection. It also outlines specific types of production that cannot be halted during strikes. The bill expands the powers of the authorized labor body to approve procedures for providing employees with therapeutic and preventive nutrition. It further proposes setting permissible ratios between the highest and lowest salaries for a given profession or position within an organization, to be included in collective agreements. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, the government is considering broader labor law reforms to address workforce shortages in key sectors. In January, lawmakers discussed lowering the retirement age for shepherds and herders amid a shortage of workers in rural areas.

Winter Olympic Games

Small but Always Present: Kyrgyzstan at the Winter Olympics

Since independence in 1991, Kyrgyzstan has sent just one or two athletes to every edition of the Winter Olympics, a reflection of its modest stature in winter sports as well as its persistence in being represented among the world’s best every four years. This year is no different. Alpine skier Timur Shakirov and cross-country skier Artur Saparbekov, both 19 years old, will compete for Kyrgyzstan at the games that run from February 6 to February 22 in Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites and other locations in northern Italy. Shakirov will participate in the giant slalom and slalom at the Bormio resort, while Saparbekov will also compete in two disciplines - the classic sprint and the 10-kilometer freestyle - at Val di Fiemme. The athletes recently showed off their national uniforms for the games – a dark blue one for training and a white one with a white kalpak, the traditional Kyrgyz headgear, for ceremonial events. Kyrgyzstan’s National Olympic Committee said it had provided the athletes with Olympic scholarships worth $21,000, starting in November 2023. “A coaching workshop on skiing was also held in 2025, and in 2026, a biathlon workshop aimed at upgrading specialists and developing winter sports in the country is planned,” the committee said. Kyrgyzstan’s mountainous terrain offers potential for the development of winter sports, but limited funding and a lack of top-level training facilities has held back progress. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan first participated in the Winter Olympics at the 1994 games in Lillehammer, Norway, with Yevgeniya Roppel competing in the biathlon, a sport that involves cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. The country of about seven million people has sent a delegation to the games every four years since then, a notable feat because athletes have to get through qualifying rounds. The first Winter Olympics were held in 1924. With a delegation of three-dozen athletes, Kazakhstan is sending the biggest team from Central Asia to the Games in Italy. Uzbekistan planned to send four athletes, but a figure-skating pair is unable to compete because of an injury. Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are not participating.

Winter Olympic Games

Inspired by Golovkin, Young Kazakhstani Skier Heads to Winter Olympics

A 16-year-old Kazakhstani freestyle skier who won silver in the mixed team aerials event at the 2025 Asian Games is among athletes from Central Asia who will compete at the Olympic Games in Italy this month. With a 36-member team, Kazakhstan is sending the largest contingent from the region to the games, which run from February 6 to February 22 in Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Dolomites and other locations in northern Italy. The youngest member of the team is Asylkhan Assan, who also took tenth place for Kazakhstan at a World Cup event in China a year ago and has competed in other international competitions. “The most important thing is to perform well. To fully demonstrate my potential and not make mistakes during the jump,” Assan said in an interview posted on the the Olympic.kz website. The teen athlete said he got into sports when he was five years old and, with the encouragement of his grandmother, followed his sister into freestyle skiiing. The acrobatic sport features flips, twists and somersaults after skiiing off a steep jump and concludes with a hopefully clean landing on a downhill slope. “I had injuries during my career, but my family always supported me,” he said. “I did not break down physically or psychologically.” Assan said his role model is Gennady Golovkin, the former middleweight world champion from Kazakhstan, and that he used to wake up early to watch the boxer’s fights. Golovkin, head of Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee, was named president of World Boxing at the federation’s inaugural congress in Rome in November. Freestyle skiing emerged in the 1960s at a time of social change and a push for “more more freedom of expression, even in sports,” the Olympics organization said. It was “initially called ‘hotdogging’ because it involved a mix of acrobatic moves, aerials, and adrenaline,” it said. The International Ski Federation recognised freestyle as a discipline in 1979, introduced guidelines to make it safer and held the first events in the following year. It made its Olympic debut as a demonstration sport at the games in Calgary, Canada in 1988. The town of Livigno will host the freestyle skiiing and snowboarding events at this year’s Winter Olympics.

Higher Education

Tajikistan Admits Over 600 Students Following Expulsion or Entry Denial in Russia

More than 6,000 applicants from Tajikistan were admitted to Russian universities in 2025, signaling that Russia is still the primary destination for Tajik students pursuing higher education abroad. The figures were announced by Tajikistan’s Minister of Education and Science, Rahim Saidzoda, during a press conference, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS. Saidzoda reported that during the 2025-2026 academic year, a total of 6,665 Tajik applicants enrolled in foreign universities. Of these, 551 chose destinations other than Russia, while more than 6,000 began their studies at Russian institutions. Admissions took place both through government-allocated quotas and standard entry procedures. At the same briefing, Deputy Minister of Education Lutfia Abdulholikzoda stated that over 600 Tajik students that had previously been expelled or denied entry to Russia in 2025 were subsequently admitted to universities in Tajikistan. She did not elaborate on the reasons for their removal but confirmed that they had been able to resume their education at home. Russian education remains highly popular among Tajik students. Each year, Russia allocates approximately 1,000 government-funded study placements for Tajik nationals. In October 2025, Russia’s Ambassador to Tajikistan, Semyon Grigoryev, said that out of 43,000 Tajik students studying abroad, more than 30,000 were enrolled in Russian institutions. Russian higher education is also present within Tajikistan. The Russian-Tajik Slavonic University enrolls over 6,000 students, while local branches of Moscow State University, the National University of Science and Technology MISIS, and the Moscow Power Engineering Institute collectively educate more than 8,000. In addition, several schools in Tajikistan operate entirely in Russian, and five Russian-funded schools built in 2022 follow Russian educational standards.

Football

Turkmen Football Fans Moved to Worse Seats for Match with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr

Fans who have bought tickets to the upcoming Asian Champions League match between Turkmenistan's Arkadag and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr on February 11 have been informed, sometimes repeatedly, that their seats are being changed to make room for “organized support” groups. According to a source in Ashgabat, notifications are being sent via users’ personal accounts on ticketing platforms. The vacated sections, the source said, are being allocated to students who are reportedly being trained in advance to provide choreographed support for the home team. Affected spectators are often offered seats with worse visibility, and in many cases, fans, especially families and groups, are being split across different sectors of the stadium, making it nearly impossible to watch the match together. Public frustration has grown as a result. “A 45,000-seat stadium was specifically allocated for this match. If officials had plans for some sections, they could have decided in advance and sold tickets accordingly. If they can’t even organize one match properly, how can we expect them to handle more serious events?” the source said. Some fans have opted not to attend the match at all, despite having already paid for tickets. Others are seeking to resell their tickets, though doing so is complicated. Ticket purchases required passport details, and it is believed that ID checks may be enforced at the gates, making resale risky. Adding to the discontent is the asymmetry in ticketing policy: the Ashgabat city administration’s ticket regulations prohibit buyers from exchanging or returning tickets, while allowing organizers to unilaterally reassign seats. According to reports, the most prominent seating sections will not be occupied by club supporters, but by students compelled to rehearse chants and routines for the game. Arkadag will host Al-Nassr in the last 32 round of the AFC Champions League. The Saudi club’s lineup includes global football star Cristiano Ronaldo. The return leg is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia on February 17 or 18.